Publications by authors named "Emily D Pollock"
Objective: The traditional syphilis screening algorithm, which involves a nontreponemal assay followed by confirmatory treponemal testing, has been challenged by an alternative approach known as the reverse sequence algorithm. The latter reverses the order of the tests and incorporates a second treponemal test for discordant results. Although the reverse sequence may offer operational advantages, there is a need for formal cost-effectiveness analyses to compare these two syphilis screening alternatives.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEarly in the 2022 mpox outbreak, the U.S. recommendation was to administer two doses of the JYNNEOS® vaccine 4 weeks apart.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: The Gonococcal Isolate Surveillance Project (GISP) was established to monitor antimicrobial resistance (AR) in Neisseria gonorrhoeae in the United States. Isolates collected in GISP undergo antimicrobial susceptibility testing allowing for estimates of resistance, based on exceeding minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs), to be calculated.
Methods: We estimated the annual number and proportion of gonococcal infections with antibiotic resistance or elevated MICs (AR/eMICs) against 6 antibiotics for men and women aged 15 to 39 years in the United States using male urethral specimens collected in GISP during 2008-2019.
Background: The 2022 mpox outbreak has infected over 30 000 people in the USA, with cases declining since mid-August. Infections were commonly associated with sexual contact between men. Interventions to mitigate the outbreak included vaccination and a reduction in sexual partnerships.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: To measure the effectiveness of chlamydia control strategies, we must estimate infection incidence over time. Available data, including survey-based infection prevalence and case reports, have limitations as proxies for infection incidence. We therefore developed a novel method for estimating chlamydial incidence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPotential for Recurrent Mpox Outbreaks Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex with Men - United States, 2023.
MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep
May 2023
Article Synopsis
- * The CDC conducted simulations to determine how the levels of immunity among MSM (from vaccination or past infections) can influence the risk and potential size of future mpox outbreaks.
- * Jurisdictions with higher immunity (50%-100%) face minimal risk of recurrence, while those with lower immunity (below 25%) are more likely to experience larger outbreaks, highlighting the importance of ongoing access to mpox vaccinations.
Estimated Incidence and Prevalence of Gonorrhea in the United States, 2006-2019.
Sex Transm Dis
April 2023
Background: We extend recent work estimating incidence and prevalence of gonococcal infections among men and women aged 15 to 39 years in the United States in 2018 by applying the same modeling framework to estimate gonococcal incidence and prevalence during 2006 to 2019.
Methods: The model is informed by cases from the Nationally Notifiable Disease Surveillance System, data from the National Survey of Family Growth, and data on other factors known to impact gonococcal incidence and prevalence. We use Monte Carlo simulation to account for uncertainty in input parameters.
Article Synopsis
- Set-point viral load (SPVL) is found to correlate with the age of HIV acquisition, suggesting that older individuals may face a selection for more virulent strains due to decreasing risks of infection as they age.
- The study utilized a model (EvoNetHIV) tailored for men who have sex with men (MSM) to simulate how various behavioral and clinical factors influence the relationship between age and SPVL.
- Results indicated that while SPVL increases with age when not accounting for source partner SPVL, this effect diminishes significantly when it is included, highlighting behavioral factors like relationship duration and coital frequency as important influencers on SPVL outcomes.
Background: Rates of adolescent sexual activity have long been declining in the United States. We sought to estimate the number of cases of gonorrhea and chlamydia averted over 1 decade associated with these declines and associated costs saved.
Methods: We analyzed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Youth Risk Behavior Survey of US high school students from 2007 to 2017 and combined it with epidemiological estimates drawn from the literature to parameterize a dynamic population transmission model.
Purpose: Adolescents aged 13-18 years bear a large burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and changing adolescent sexual risk behavior is a key component of reducing this burden. We demonstrate a novel publicly available modeling tool (teen-SPARC) to help state and local health departments predict the impact of behavioral change on gonorrhea, chlamydia, and HIV burden among adolescents.
Methods: Teen-SPARC is built in Excel for familiarity and ease and parameterized using data from CDC's Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System.